LAWRENCE, Kan. - The Oklahoma Sooners retained their lead on the final day of the 2012 Big 12 Women's Golf Championship, firing a plus-16 par 296 round to clinch the crown with a three-round total of 904 (+64) at the Lawrence Country Club's par-70, 6,038-yard course.

After recording a 24-stroke improvement from round one to round two, the Sooners jumped from fourth place to first place over two days and held steady in the final round, which featured cold temperatures and rain showers.

This marks the second title for the Sooners, who also claimed the crown in 2000, and had not finished higher than fifth at the event since 2004 when they recorded a fourth-place finish. OU, ranked 30th entering the weekend, had two tournament wins in the fall and two second-place finishes this spring. Including the Big 12 Championship, Oklahoma has finished in the top 5 in six of nine events this year.

Inclement weather and persistent rain caused a 9:00 a.m. shotgun start to the day and play was interrupted with a delay of over of an hour, however, eight of the 10 teams tallied third-round scores under 300.

The Sooners shot a plus-36 316 on Friday, but improved with a plus-12 second round score of 292. That mark was just one stroke shy of the sixth-lowest single round score at the event (291; Missouri, 2011 & Oklahoma State, 2006).

Oklahoma was led by second-place individual finisher Chirapat Jao-Javanil, who held the top spot on the individual leader board over the first two days. Jao-Javanil, who finished 10th at the championship last year, shot a three-round total of 220 (+10), including a round three score of 73. On Saturday, she was one of two golfers to shoot an even round two score of 70 and fired a plus-five 75 mark in round one. The sophomore tallied eight birdies, four apiece in rounds one and two. She was joined in the top 10 by teammate Anne Tanguay, who finished fourth after shooting 76-72-74 for a total of 222 (+12).

Mary Michael Maggio (Texas A&M) won first-place individual honors by one stroke with a plus-nine mark of 219. Her scores improved with each round as the junior fired a 77 on the first day, followed by a 73 and a score of 69 in the final day. She recorded six birdies, including three on Sunday. It is her first tournament win of the season. She is the fourth Aggie to take home top medalist honors and first since 2009. The Aggies also had the top scorer in 2006 and 1998.

Texas A&M, along with Baylor, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State had multiple golfers on the All-Tournament team, picked by virtue of top 10 finishes.

Hayley Davis (Baylor) tied Jao-Javanil for second place honors and was the only freshman to make the top 10

Two strokes separated the second and fourth place winners. Defending champion Texas, who was in eighth-place after the first round, charged to a second-place finish with a total score of 911 (+71). The Longhorns have placed in the top 3 in four of the past five years. Their 288 round three score is the third-lowest in championship history, passing the 289 third round mark they posted last season.

The third-place finish of 912 (+72) for Baylor was its best since third place in 2007. Day one leader Iowa State, who entered the final round in second place, fell to a final finish of fourth, tied with Oklahoma State at a plus-73 score of 913.

Oklahoma earns an automatic spot in the NCAA Regionals, which are from Thursday, May 10 through Saturday, May 12 at three sites. The 72-team regional field is announced on Monday, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. CT on NCAA.com. The 2012 NCAA Women's Golf Championship is set for Tuesday, May 22 through Friday, May 25, at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. The Big 12 represented with six teams in 2011.